Sewer water has been introduced to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) as a diluted material for treatment. In many cases the WWTP receives its influent containing very low loading 150 ppm cBOD from residential contributors and varying loads from the combination of residential with industrial blends. In rare instances the influent load is extremely high based on a majority of the load coming from heavy industrial/commercial contributors. However, in most cases the influent to the WWTP is 90% or greater diluted by fresh drinking water. This variation of influent loads makes it difficult to treat and the WWTP must be able to adjust based on the variations of the influent load constituents. The solution to varying loads is to dewater the influent efficiently during the conveyance phase. The collection system typically contains lift stations or central collection hubs that are designed to either lift the waste water to a higher elevation or to collect the smaller pipe branches into a larger diameter pipe to accommodate the increased flows. Both systems using sanitary or combined sewer systems could benefit equally in reducing hydraulic loads to the WWTP. Combined sewer systems could adjust operations to minimize rain events. Sanitary sewers with high inflow and infiltration (I/I) from rain events could minimize hydraulic flow by processing higher reuse flow rates based on diluted concentration of waste constituents.
Prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,578,211 and 5,788,841 to Dickerson taught a methodology for modifying the sewer biofilm through the mechanism of competitive exclusion and thereby achieving both reduction/control of biologically caused odor causing gases and improvement of treatment plant operations. The methodology taught in the '211 and '841 patents has been shown to have a positive impact on plant influent loadings and plant performance. However, the gross volumetric flow into the wastewater treatment plant remains problematic. In addition, maintaining bacteria concentrations is a significant cost associated with systems employing the '211 and '841 patents.
Thus, what is lacking in the art is a system positioned for upstream dewatering as well as onsite breeding of microbial species which complemented the efficiencies realized by the biological treatment of the '211 and '841 patents.